Music & Movies

Once a thriving body of innovative and fluid music, jazz is now the victim of destructive professional and artistic forces, says Eric Nisenson. Corruption by marketers, appropriation by the mainstream, superficial media portrayal, and sheer lack of skill...

"Somebody has to pay the dues," says LaVern Baker. Here are the remarkable stories of six dazzlingly talented performers who blazed the R & B trail--the story of the performers' music and also of their struggle against racism and financial exploitation:...

"It is the most singular of sounds, yet among the most ubiquitous. It is the sound of isolation that has sold itself to millions." Miles Davis's Kind of Blue is the best-selling piece of music in jazz history and, for many listeners, among the most...

Black Music--whether it be jazz, blues, r&b, gospel, or soul--has always expressed, consciously or not, its African oral heritage, reflecting the conditions of a minority culture in the midst of a white majority. Black Talk is one of those rare books...

The politics of race in British screen culture over the last 30 years vis-a-vis the institutional, textual, cultural and political shifts that have occurred during this period. Black Film British Cinema II considers the politics of blackness in...

The African-American actors and actresses whose names have shone brightly on Broadway marquees earned their place in history not only through hard work, perseverance, and talent, but also because of the legacy left by those who came before them. Like the...

(Applause Books). Black and Blue: The Redd Foxx Story tells the remarkable story of Foxx, a veteran comedian and "overnight sensation" at the age of 49 whose early life was defined by adversity and his post- Sanford and Son years by a blur of women,...

More than to any other musician, the credit for the birth of modern jazz belongs to Charles Yardbird Parker--known to his friends and fans simply as Bird.Parker's virtuoso technique, melodic genius, and inspired improvisations helped launch a whole new...

The best biography of any jazz musician that we have. Bird Lives! will stand for a long time as a major source of information and illumination not only of the great musician with whom it deals but of the entire jazz life in this society.--Ralph Gleason...

In his debut memoir, Jean Mellor invites his readers to experience his life through his words. Whether he is holding things down in Queens, or making important connections in Hollywood, Mellor captures the struggles of a young man whose life is created...

Anyone who has ever heard a Billie Holiday record knows the sound of her voice--sad, sexy, always relaxed but securely aware of the beat. Conveying a poignancy that cut to the heart of a song, she redeemed even trivial material with her impeccable sense...

(Jazz Piano Solos). 24 essential Evans standards arranged for piano solo, including: Alice in Wonderland * Autumn Leaves * But Beautiful * Everything Happens to Me * Here's That Rainy Day * How Deep Is the Ocean (How High Is the Sky) * In a Sentimental...